The “Turtle Tank” Shirt

Pattern: modified from The Rectangle/Triangle Top from Rhonda’s Creative Life

Year: 2011

Notions: thread

Time to complete: longer than it should have

First worn: for pictures

Wear again?: Yes

Total price: $0

I have three green fabrics in my stash, none of which inspired me this week. One, a thrifted bed sheet, would require way too much thought to match the distinctive lattice design. One is really something I bought for quilting and has a large floral print I’m not sure would work on a garment. The last was a 2-yard length of a loosely-woven woolen blend voile that I got from my grandmother’s estate and really wasn’t sure what to do with. And also it’s the least green of the three. Olive? Almost gray in certain lights.

I was ruminating about this challenge when I happened upon this pattern on Rhonda’s Creative Life. Rhonda has done a series of Fabulous Free Pattern Fridays you should defintely check out (I plan on doing a few more of her patterns this year). They usually consist of rectangles, triangles, and circles, and are airy, simple, and elegant looking.

Now, you may have noticed that my shirt looks nothing like Rhonda’s shirt. You’re correct. I used Rhonda’s pattern as a jumping off point and made adjustments as mood (and then some ridiculously enormous sleeves I created) dictated. I made the neckline smaller, the collar much fatter, and once I realized the arms I created made it look TERRIBLE on me, I cut them off, shaped the bodice and shoulders a bit more, and made it a tank. The hips are a bit too tight, but I think I can work with that.

About the Sew Weekly

The Sew Weekly began as Mena Trott's attempt to document the process of sewing all of her own clothes in 2010. In 2011, four other contributors (Debi Fry, Adey Lim, Veronica Darling & Sarah Gabbart) joined her and for 52 weeks, they sewed based on a particular weekly theme. In 2012, The Sew Weekly became a much larger group blog with over 130 contributors sewing along each week.